02-14-2023

AGAPE - GOD’S KIND OF LOVE

 

Last week we talked about Faith and Hope – and today we’re going to talk about LOVE.  Of course, it’s appropriate – it’s Valentine’s Day!!!  BUT – God’s kind of love isn’t romantic love – although there’s nothing wrong with romance!!!!!

 

There are two specific places in the New Testament that talk about Agape Love – the God-Kind of Love – 1 Cor. 13 the whole chapter – and 1 John 4 after verse 6.

 

We’re going to begin with the last verse of 1 Cor. 13 – verse 13.

“And now abides faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”

 

In other words, God is saying here, through the apostle, Paul, that AGAPE – THE GOD KIND OF LOVE – is the most important thing that we need to understand and get ahold of in our own lives.

 

Now – let me say, that we live in one of the most self-centered cultures that the world has ever known.  In other words, it has become normal for people to live their entire lives with an attitude of “ME, MYSELF, AND I!!!!!!!!”  What I want, what I like, what I need, how I feel, what I don’t like, how everything affects me, and on and on.  It’s always been a huge part of the human life, since the Garden of Eden, but in today’s culture, it has grown to epic proportions – to the point that it is considered normal even among Bible believing Christians.  BUT THAT’S NOT GOD’S WAY OF LIVING!!!

 

Now – think about this for a minute.  A very well-known verse is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.”  Now let’s ponder on that for a minute.  God’s love is so unselfish, so pure, so huge, and so powerful that He put you and me and rest of the whole human race before His own loving desire toward His only begotten Son.  Think about the fact that all of the horrible acts of sin of the whole human race – murder, rape, stealing, hurtful actions and words, painful and killing acts of sin – all of it – on THE SON OF GOD.  He did that because HIS LOVE (AGAPE) IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE WORLD!  Agape love is the motivating force behind our salvation and everything that God has provided for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Here’s a powerful thought – Agape Love, the God-kind of Love is the extreme opposite of self-centeredness!!!

 

Share story of after husband moved to heaven – a few months later – laying on the floor – crying and praying – God said two things to me – one about Hebrews 13:5 – He would never leave me or forsake me – and OTHER ONE ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.  HE ASKED ME, “GLORIA – IF YOUR HEART HAD A THRONE, WHO WOULD BE ON IT?”  I CRIED AND SAID THAT NOW I REALIZED THAT JERRY HAD BEEN ON THE THRONE.  I TALKED TO THE LORD AND REPENTED.  IT WAS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TIME FOR ME.  OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, I HAD ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD. I BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT I HAD PUT MYSELF ON THE THRONE SINCE JERRY MOVED TO HEAVEN!!!  THE EPITIMY OF SELF-CENTEREDNESS – ALL ABOUT ME, ME, ME, ME.

 

IT WAS CERTAINLY A PRECIOUS AND SPECIAL TIME BETWEEN THE LORD AND ME.  I repented, and prayed and prayed and prayed.  I realized that GOD has to be on the throne of my heart – that if I, or another person, is on the throne, I am living my life in self centeredness.  Me, Myself, and I, instead of THE TRIUNE GOD – GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT!

 

Now, we’re going to do something a little different from the normal - we’re going to read some verses in 1 Cor. 13 and in 1 John 4, and talk about them as we do.  I’m going to read from the New King James Version.  As we do this, I want us all to think about the fact that THIS AGAPE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN PLACED IN OUR NEW BORN AGAIN SPIRIT WHEN WE WERE BORN AGAIN.  You can’t operate in agape love – the God-kind of love – out of your own human nature – you must access it from your SPIRIT MAN.  THAT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO DEPENDENCE ON GOD – YIELDING THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO GOD – RECOGNIZING THAT IT IS NOT YOUR FLESH – BUT GOD IN YOU – WHO CAN LOVE WITH THIS KIND OF LOVE.

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Scriptures used for this lesson

1 Corinthians 13:13

John 3:16

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 John 4:7-21